Remembering Whitman

We've been dog sitting for two weeks now…it's been amazing I might add but it has also stirred up memories of the dog that we once had. He was a Golden Retriever, his name was Whitman He was as gentle as can be We spent a good twelve years together (I wish we had 83) . Why did you name him Whitman, people would ask? Was it because you loved Walt Whitman's poetry? If only…we would answer… he was named after a bakery. If you think naming Whitman after a bakery was crazy…allow me to elaborate… Whitman's made the best better cream donuts…our family ever ate! An amazing feature of memories is how they seem to fly in on their own wings. They pop into our heads when we least expect them…triggered by the simplest things. Taking Bella and Matti for a walk…watching them unwind Throwing a ball for them to retrieve…and Whitman come's to mind. Sitting with Bella on the couch…before she goes to bed thinking that's exactly the same spot Whitman used to lay his head… I guess it is inevitable…and certainly no reason to be dismayed that as we make new memories…we're reminded of old ones we have made. It gives us a chance to think back…to be thankful…to remember with a smile a person, or in this case a dog, who was in our life a while… Whitman's bakery and Whitman are long gone now but we still remember their mystique for a dog to be named after a donut…he must have been unique! So as we sit with these two wonderful dogs…and try to get them to behave us…. It's nice to remember our Whitman…and all the memories he gave us.